We have climbing ivy which pretty much covers a tree -- up to 40 feet or so. Does this ever endanger the tree?
Also, I've planted a Virginia creeper at the base of the same tree, and it's starting to climb. Does the Virginia creeper ever muscle out the ivy, or vice-versa?
Climbing vines can eventually smother a tree by preventing new growth, and some are parasitic, they actually root into the tree using it as a host, robbing it of nutrients. Why would you let vines climb up 40 feet... there is nothing more ugly in a landscape than a tree covered with vines.
Ivy kills by shading out the crown of a tree, over time. Virginia creeper will not, it has less of a crown requirement. Neither are parasitic, just taking advantage of height.
I would get rid of the ivy and have done so in my little patch of the world.
A wooded area I take walks at has a section of trees covered with winter creeper. They remind me of old bearded men. I kind of like it. (Although not allowed 40 ft in my yard.)
Kate - I have taken clippers to another walking area to free the pines
I attended an arberatum seminar about trees and this question came up. The botany professor stated that English ivy does not kill trees in Tennessee. Ivy can be aggressive in some locations, and certainly you don't want it growing on your house. I have ivy growing on three large tree. It is heavily trimmed from the ground to 5 feet, the deer keep it from spreading as a ground cover.
Any two plants sharing the same space will compete; view some time-lapse photography to see the behavior. I often grow two different plants side-by-side, ones that have similar light, water, and soil requirements.
It will be a moot point, when the tree falls down. Hope it isn't too close to your house.
Have a look at some of the info on ivy and what it does to the trees, etc. BTW - The ivy on the ground is said to be nice habitat for rats!! :-)
English ivy is a vigorous growing vine that impacts all levels of disturbed and undisturbed forested areas, growing both as a ground cover and a climbing vine. As the ivy climbs in search of increased light, it engulfs and kills branches by blocking light from reaching the host tree?s leaves. Branch dieback proceeds from the lower to upper branches, often leaving the tree with just a small green ?broccoli head.? The host tree eventually succumbs entirely from this insidious and steady weakening. In addition, the added weight of the vines makes infested trees much more susceptible to blow-over during high rain and wind events and heavy snowfalls. Trees heavily draped with ivy can be hazardous if near roads, walkways, homes and other peopled areas. On the ground, English ivy forms dense and extensive monocultures that exclude native plants. English ivy also serves as a reservoir for Bacterial Leaf Scorch (Xylella fastidiosa), a plant pathogen that is harmful to elms, oaks, maples and other native plants."
Why did you find it compelling to repost part of a web site that was posted yesterday?
I was always under the impression ivy eventually killed the tree.
We have a big park close to home and all of the trees there are covered in Ivy and have been for many years so I don't know.
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